November 19, 2015
Bird flu outbreaks hit Cambodia, Vietnam
The OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) said it had received official reports of two confirmed outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Cambodiaand another of the same type of virus in Vietnam.
It said the information on the Cambodian outbreak was relayed on Monday, Nov. 16, by OIE delegate Dr Sen Sovann, who is also deputy secretary general of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The report said some 2,100 infected free-ranging ducks had died in Battambang province and another 180 in Siem Reap as of Nov. 12. It added that a total of 8,800 ducks had been susceptible to the virus.
Previous occurrence of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia was on March 3 last year.
Meanwhile, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that Hong Kong has banned poultry imports, including salted duck eggs, from Vietnam''s Son La province due to an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu.
A check of the OIE website showed that the outbreak, which first occurred on Aug. 18 this year, hit Son La on Nov. 16 resulting in the deaths of 100 backyard birds and the culling of 226 birds.
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the OIE came out with a new bird-flu alert of the H5N1 type in Vietnam. The outbreak recurred in Ca Mau province on Nov. 11, and has resulted in the deaths of 94 backyard birds and the culling of 506. H5N1 first occurred on Oct. 27 this year.-Rick Alberto